


Well That's One Way To Meet Someone

by Goodbye Moonlight (WiggleWorm)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cat Burglars, Getting Together, M/M, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes, tonys not really The tony stark hes just tony stark yaknow?, very brief mentions of shooting/stabbing, why isnt there a pre-serum bucky barnes tag???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-03-05 12:17:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18828523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiggleWorm/pseuds/Goodbye%20Moonlight
Summary: Tony Stark is a cat burglar who just so happens to break into the home of one James Barnes.prompt: Person A is a pretty successful cat burglar. One night, they break into a random house. While trying to make their escape, they run into a half-asleep Person B. How does Person A respond? Bonus if Person A says something along the lines of, “This is a dream, I’m not really here.”





	Well That's One Way To Meet Someone

**Author's Note:**

> [ prompt: ](https://curesforwritersblock.tumblr.com/post/184857632696/person-a-is-a-pretty-successful-cat-burglar-one) Person A is a pretty successful cat burglar. One night, they break into a random house. While trying to make their escape, they run into a half-asleep Person B. How does Person A respond? Bonus if Person A says something along the lines of, “This is a dream, I’m not really here.”
> 
> they're both between the ages of 20-25ish you can choose

Robbing houses was never the best choice to make in life. Tony knows this, the few people in his life that knows he does this tell him that everyday, no need to tell him yourself. And yet, here he was, in yet another strangers house, going through yet another antique looking jewelry box, pulling out yet another gold looking necklace, only to find that  _ yet again _ , it was fake.

What is with people these days and keeping only the fake stuff? How was he supposed to make a living if all he could ever find was cheap copper? Do you know how many of these things he would have to find just to make five dollars?! Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t just carry all those copper necklaces around, imagine the  _ clink clack chime chime chime _ they would make when ever he even  _ slightly _ moved! 

This night was turning into a waste of time. And when you don’t have time to waste, desperate times call for desperate measures. 

And you  _ really _ had to be desperate to do what he was about to do.

He was in another area this time, this part of town was one of the most crime riddled parts of the whole state, but from what he's heard, it’s also one of the profitable in the sense of what you can “find”. If you can even manage to pull of a robbery, that is. Most people who try even a mugging in these parts are bound to pick the wrong person and get shot.

Times like these makes him happy that he actually took all those gymnastics and ballet classes seriously. 

Scouting out a building to break into was always one of the trickier parts of the job. It took a seasoned pro to be able to tell which houses were maybe actually worth it in the end. And Tony was no seasoned pro, so this was a real struggle.

After maybe four or five years of on again off again thefts, burglaries, shopliftings, pickpocketings, etc., he would like to that he was at least a little better at it, and he  _ was _ , but not to this extent. 

The last guy he heard about trying to rob a place here was found on a collapsed fire escape with seven stab wounds.

Just the thought of that sent shivers down his spine. 

But like we said, desperate times, desperate measures. When you’re down on your luck you’ve gotta make money somewhere, right? Right. And no, he was  _ not  _ going to take money from his friends, they need it more, it was his own fault for being in this situation.

He spent fifteen minutes looking before he finally picked a place. It was on the nicer side of rundown. A few of the windows on the building were smashed out, some covered in tarps or trash bags, some just left as is.

He found an unlocked window on the second to top floor, but the window would only open about a foot of the way down. Thank goodness for his small stature. 

Thanks to a few of the windows being covered, it was hard to see where the moonlight couldn’t filter in, and you  _ know _ you can’t just whip out a flashlight in the middle of a robbery. Another point to him for his young eyes, he could see pretty okay. At least the floor boards weren’t creaking. 

The person who lived here, whoever they were, either wasn’t planning on staying long, or just didn’t own anything. This guys house was nearly entirely bare, there weren’t any pictures on the walls, there was little to no personalization to the space, there was barely even any food in the kitchen, not that he would take that, he knows you don’t mess with other peoples food. 

Honestly, he felt bad just being in this house, it looked like this guy had nothing, but then again, so did he. 

The most valuable thing he could find in the house was a set of practically new golf clubs that he could probably pawn off for a few hundred.

He was bringing the clubs to the open window as quietly as he possibly could, when he heard shuffling coming up from behind him.

He could tell it was a little far off, but still scarily close, close enough to find him. He froze, hoping that he would blend in with the shadows around him. 

Seeing the guy was scarier than hearing because  _ holy- this guy could crush him like a bug!! _

His silhouette was on the taller side, beefed up like a worked out a lot, could probably crush him between his thighs. The moonlight cast across his face also didn’t help, this guy had one of the most unsettling murder faces of anyone Tony had encountered.

Not the kind of person you want to be illegally in the house of.

They stood there staring at each other for just over fifteen seconds- yes he was counting -when he heard the guy speak.

“What’re you doin’ here?”

The man sounded out of it, like he wasn’t really awake. A sudden flash of relief washed through him,  _ he could get out of this! _

But then, before his brain could catch up with his mouth, he heard himself saying “This is a dream, I’m not really here.” and cringed.  _ He was so dead. _

They stood in silence for a few more seconds before the man said “Okay.”, turned around and walked away.

There was no way that just happened.

Tony bolted out of there as quick a possible, still trying to be quiet and while carrying those stupid golf clubs.

Rhodey was never going to believe this.

  
  


\------

  
  


A month and a half later, it was May 29th, Tony’s birthday, and Rhodey had insisted that he take Tony out for a celebratory birthday lunch. 

Always one for free food, of course he went.

And then he saw him.

The  _ same _ exact guy that he had encountered while literally  _ breaking into the guys house _ .

The man was shooting glances at him intently from across the restaurant. His icy blue eyes felt like they were boring holes into his skull.

The more he tried to ignore him, the more he seemed to feel the guys gaze on him. 

It wasn’t until Rhodey left the table to use the bathroom that the guy finally made a move.

“Hey.”

“Holy shhhh-! Don’t do that, i’m too young to have a heart attack!” Tony looked to his right, and there, sitting next to him, was the man he had been hoping with all his might would leave him be. That scare alone could have caused him a heart attack. At least he wasn’t hard to look at, of all the people to rob it just  _ had _ to be the hot one?

“Sorry, I just… Have we met before? I swear I’ve seen you somewhere.”

This guy can’t be serious.

There was no way.

“Uh- maybe? I mean- I kinda live around so you might’a seen me around? Me and my friend frequent here a lot, he’ll be back soon…” he trailed off, growing quieter as he went. 

“No, that can’t be it…” he spoke as he brushed his hand against his face, trying to put the pieces together.

Tony tried discreetly looking over his shoulder toward the bathrooms, hoping Rhodey would come back asap. “You’re probably mistaking me for someone else, don’t worry, happens all the time, I understand entirely, no need to be embarrassed about it, I-”

The guy snapped his fingers and pointed at Tony, “I know where I’ve seen you! You were that guy in my house the other night!”

Tony felt his blood run cold at that.  _ He knew. He knew. He. Knew. _

“I- I-”

“I was laughin’ so hard about it when I woke up, you wouldn’t believe!” the man was smiling now, an overjoyed smirk stretched across his face.

“You… What?”

“What? It was hilarious! You literally told me I was dreaming so I would leave!”

At this point, Tony was a little less fearing for his life and a little more lost. “Why are you laughing so much? I broke into your house- I stole from you!”

“Yah, you stole my old annoying roommates ‘vintage golf clubs’ that he never shuts up about. I was honestly glad to see ‘em gone. Plus, that made him finally move all his other stuff out.” his smile was softer now, more personal. “Hope you got somethin’ good out of ‘em, I know I never did.”

“Uh, thanks?” He said, then held out his hand, “Oh- I’m Tony, by the way.” was it wise as a burglar to give out your name to someone who’s house you robbed? Probably not.

“James. But my friends call me Bucky.” Bucky shook Tony’s hand, his smile still soft.

Tony let out a little laugh at that, “Bucky? What kinda name is that? There’s gotta be a story there, right? Teacher read your name wrong? Hit by a deer? Couldn’t pronounce your own name as a kid?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Bucky laughed with him, then spoke softly, “I’d love to tell you over dinner some time, if you’d like?”

Tony’s mind felt like one of those life ruining 404 error messages in all honesty, that’s all his brain could come up with. Did he really just ask him out? Did he really?

“Did you just ask me out? Don’t get me wrong- if you are then definitely yes, but I’m probably the last person that you should be asking."

“Oh, I’m sure. Hows next Friday at eight pm sound?”

Tony let out a breath “Perfect.”

“Great. You know where I live so you can come to me.”

Tony let out a choked laugh at that, and kept laughing as Bucky stood, waved, and walked away, his company being replaced shortly after by Rhodey sliding back into the seat across from him.

“That a friend of yours?” he said, giving a knowing look.

“Yeah, I guess he is.”


End file.
